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I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Z20

Introduction

I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord is contained in one of three large volumes now in the British Museum: the volume which holds this anthem contains fair copies of seventeen of Purcell’s own works (and one by Blow), though it seems apparent that by 1685 Purcell was lacking the time to keep the book properly up to date. It is therefore hard to date the work more accurately than to state it was written between 1682 and 1685, though this writer’s instinct points him towards the earlier end of that period.

The anthem requires five soloists, and is written on a fairly large scale with the Symphony repeated in full at the mid-point. The opening of that Symphony is again in wistful mood, full of extraordinarily intense harmonies and dropping chromaticism, melancholy yet curiously uplifting in the sadness which pervades so much of Purcell’s music. Again the second part of the Symphony follows the Humfrey pattern in utilising a dance-like, largely homophonic second section which introduces the opening vocal material. With five voices with which to play, Purcell is able to contrast textures which are basically chordal with close imitation, such as at ‘Ev’n before the gods’, where the point swings rapidly between the voices and instruments. A smoother texture is introduced by a solo boy at ‘I will worship towards thy holy temple’ before the five soloists return to their imitation at ‘When I called upon thee’, their falling dotted motif taken up by the strings as the basis for their ritornello. The first section ends with a short chorus which repeats the soloists’ first music, and the opening Symphony is repeated, though seemingly requiring more intensity.

A duet between alto and tenor ‘All the kings of the earth’ begins the second half before the five voices return at ‘Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord’, building up to a marvellous climax at ‘great is the glory of the Lord’.

The centrepiece of the anthem is another vocal tour de force for Purcell’s remarkable bass singer John Gostling. With his singer’s vocal range spanning two-and-a-half octaves, and clearly inspired by the text ‘For though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly’ Purcell exploited every possible inch of pictorialisation, pushing his friend and colleague to the highest and lowest extremes of his range.

There is little wonder that this particular anthem can be so rarely performed, but how effective is Purcell’s writing when there is a singer able to cope with stratospheric and subterranean vocal ranges and also with subtle nuances such as the stark vocal colour required to sing ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble’. After such a showcase, Purcell ends the work in high spirits with chorus, soloists and strings joining together exultantly.

Recordings

'The unfamiliar verse anthems come radiantly alive. Surely after this airing several of them will become far more widely performed. I can't wait for V ...'A magical disc. I could not recommend this CD more strongly' (CDReview)» More

'It is hard to speak too highly of this enterprise … much enjoyment to be had' (Gramophone)'the performances from The King’s Consort and its Choir, the Choir of New College and a starry line-up of soloists have such qualities of concentratio ...» More

I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, with my whole heart,
even before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
I will worship towards thy holy temple, and praise thy name, because of thy loving kindness and truth; for thou hast magnified thy name and thy word above all things.
When I called upon thee, thou heard’st me, and endu’dst my soul with much strength.
I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, with my whole heart,
even before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, for they have heard the words of thy mouth.
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord that great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly.
As for the proud he beholdeth them afar off.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, yet shalt thou refresh me.
Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand upon the furiousness of mine enemies,
and thy right hand shall save me.
The Lord shall make good his loving kindness towards me; yea, thy mercy,
O Lord, endureth for ever.